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Soulja Boy Reignites 'First To Drop Three' Debate After Drake's Album Blitz — Melanin News | Melanin
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Soulja Boy Reignites 'First To Drop Three' Debate After Drake's Album BlitzHip-Hop

Soulja Boy Reignites 'First To Drop Three' Debate After Drake's Album Blitz

2w ago

Drake dropped three new albums on the culture, and almost immediately, Soulja Boy was on the timeline claiming he did it first. The Canadian superstar's unexpected triple release on May 15, 2026, quickly became a major talking point, only for Soulja Boy to inject his own history into the conversation, asserting his precedence in a move that has become characteristic of his public persona.

Aubrey Drake Graham, known professionally as Drake, unleashed "Iceman," "Habibti," and "Maid of Honour" simultaneously, marking his first solo projects since 2023's "For All the Dogs." These three albums featured a hefty 43 new tracks. The rollout for "Iceman" had been building since 2024, culminating in a four-episode livestream series and an attention-grabbing 25-foot ice sculpture in Toronto that revealed the release date to fans in late April. All three projects were released under OVO Sound with an exclusive license to Republic Records and instantly dominated streaming charts. Reports indicated Drake became Spotify's most streamed artist in a single day, and Apple Music saw an 1,100% surge in simultaneous listeners. "Iceman" alone reportedly hit number one in 79 countries.

Image related to Soulja Boy Reignites 'First To Drop Three' Debate After Drake's Album Blitz
Related image from the original report Source

Just two days after Drake's massive drop, on Sunday, May 17, 2026, American rapper and record producer DeAndre Cortez Way, widely known as Soulja Boy, took to social media to stake his claim. "I was the first rapper to drop three projects in the same day. Btw 😎," he posted. He pointed to Halloween 2009, when he released three mixtapes: "Paranormal Activity," "Dat Piff," and "Cortez." This assertion quickly fueled discussion among fans and commentators, though many noted that his 2009 releases hadn't achieved the same level of cultural impact or lasting recognition as Drake's recent efforts.

Further community fact-checks quickly emerged, indicating that rapper Gucci Mane had actually released three projects as part of his "Cold War" mixtape series approximately two weeks before Soulja Boy's Halloween 2009 releases. This suggests that while Soulja Boy was an early adopter of the multi-project drop, he may not have been the absolute first, even within his own claimed timeframe.

Soulja Boy, born July 28, 1990, exploded onto the scene in 2007 with his independently released debut single, "Crank That (Soulja Boy)," which soared to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. He is widely credited as a pioneer in using the internet and platforms like MySpace and YouTube for music promotion. Throughout his career, he has a well-documented history of claiming various "firsts" in hip-hop culture, including being the first rapper on YouTube and the first to go viral, continually emphasizing his role in shaping digital music distribution and promotion.

Drake (musician)
Drake (musician) Source

His reaction to Drake's triple album drop is rooted in a long and complex history between the two artists. While they collaborated in 2014, Soulja Boy has consistently voiced a grievance, perceiving that Drake has borrowed from his work without proper acknowledgment. A specific point of contention involves a 2010 Drake song that allegedly interpolated a Soulja Boy track from 2007. Soulja Boy has publicly addressed this perceived slight on multiple occasions over the years, making it a recurring theme in their dynamic.

In a prior interview, Soulja Boy admitted that his frequent insertions into Drake-related conversations are a form of trolling. "I just think it's funnier 'cause it's like you stole my s**t, so now I can just troll you," he stated, adding, "I think he was trying to shout me out. But it's like, man, you did too much." This candid admission sheds light on his strategy of maintaining relevance and engaging with an artist he feels has benefited from his pioneering efforts.

Drake, born October 24, 1986, first gained public attention as an actor, portraying Jimmy Brooks on the Canadian teen drama "Degrassi: The Next Generation" from 2001 to 2008. He transitioned into music by independently releasing mixtapes before signing with Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment in 2009. He is widely recognized for popularizing R&B sensibilities in hip-hop through his distinctive rap-singing style and stands as one of the best-selling music artists globally, holding numerous Billboard Hot 100 records.

The significance of this ongoing narrative lies in the broader conversation about innovation, credit, and cultural impact within the hip-hop genre, especially as digital distribution methods continue to evolve. While Drake's recent triple album release achieved massive commercial success and streaming milestones, Soulja Boy's consistent claims to pioneering various aspects of hip-hop and internet culture ensure that his name remains part of these discussions, even if his specific "firsts" are often debated or fact-checked.

Other public figures also weighed in on Drake's release, with Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown reportedly offering a thoughtful perspective on Drake's career intentions, and rapper Rick Ross addressing the release with deliberate indifference. The debate over who did what first, and the recognition that follows, remains a vibrant part of hip-hop's cultural landscape, with artists like Soulja Boy ensuring that the conversation around originality and influence continues to evolve.